I came across a post by a 72-year-old Australian woman named Cecily on Facebook.
She openly shared that when she was about to turn 70, she had fallen into deep depression and fear, and often cried helplessly - because she had never seriously thought about the concept of "getting old".
But soon, she realized that the fear itself couldn't change anything. So she began to adjust herself, learning handicrafts, joining walking and gardening groups, and trying dancing.
Her life suddenly regained its vitality.
When it came to health, she said calmly, "Each age has its own health problems, and that's nothing."
And her most powerful advice was: Forget about age and change your mindset - the changes brought about will be huge.
The reason why her experience touched me is that we, the generation in our forties and fifties, are also standing at the threshold of "aging".
Time seems to pass faster and faster, a month, a year, vanishing in an instant.
How to embrace the inevitable aging stage has become a topic we must face.
No one is born knowing how to age. We are all exploring and thinking.
And Cecily's story, as well as many elders who live authentically, are lighting the way forward for us.
Face it calmly and reconcile with time
Cecily's transition from fear to actively participating in life lies in her realization that only she can save herself.
None of us wants to grow old, and we all want to hold onto our youth tightly. However, time never stops for anyone.
Since we can't change it, it's better to accept it calmly - and do so with a positive mindset.
- Fear will consume our bodies and minds, accelerating the pace of aging;
- while acceptance and facing it may open up another chapter full of possibilities.
Change your attitude and forget about the numbers
The renowned actress Liu Xiaqing is an excellent example.
At the age of 75, she has never regarded herself as an "elderly person".
She persists in swimming and exercising, and her state is more engaged than that of many younger people;
she devotes herself to calligraphy, and her works have received recognition within the industry.
Not long ago, she appeared together with a 74-year-old audience member on the show, sitting side by side, but the sense of age was completely different.
Liu Xiaqing is not only physically young but also has a light-hearted mindset.
In the program, she naturally addressed an elderly person of the same age as her as "Mr Old Man",and this did not make anyone feel out of place because she had never labeled herself as "elderly" in her mind.
Such role models are not far away.
The energetic Grandpa Wang running in the morning group, Grandma Shang who moves with a light step even better than the young people in the dance class...
They are all proving that age is just a number; what truly defines us is our mindset and actions.
Define life with passion, not by legal age
A blogger once said: After retirement, you must find something that can sustain your vitality.
Eating and dressing are just for "surviving", but what truly makes one feel alive is that unextinguished flame in one's heart.
"A woman truly starts to age not when she gets wrinkles, but when she says: 'Oh well, I don't really want anything anymore.'"
He said, "You must find something that can light up your life."
Warren Buffett still behaves like a young person to this day, "dancing and skipping to work" every day.
For him, investing is not a boring game of numbers, but an exciting "rolling snowball" exploration that has lasted for decades.
This extreme passion for his career allows him to ignore his age and always maintain sharpness and vitality.
Mr. Yang Zhenning, the physicist, remained intellectually active at the age of 100.
He dedicated his entire life to physics, and this pure curiosity and pursuit of the mysteries of the universe have constructed a spiritual world far broader and younger than his physical age.
The reason why he can calmly span centuries is that his life has always been filled with his beloved cause.
When you fully devote yourself to what you love, you will forget the passage of time, and in concentration, you will live out a brighter self.
So, please make sure to find something that can light up your life.
It could be a craft, a sport, an art form, or a passion for continuous learning.
- If you are good at handicrafts, then delve into it freely.
- If you love music, start learning to play an instrument.
- If you enjoy writing, keep working hard.
- If you like investing, study the stock market.
- If you are fond of thinking, you can also deeply explore a certain field...
On the way forward, you are not alone.
British author Diana Athill wrote "Somewhere Towards the End" at the age of nearly 90.
With a clear, humorous and candid style, she shared her thoughts on aging, loneliness and life. It is not a lament for old age, but a graceful ode to life.
We cannot stop time from passing, but we can decide how to spend our time.
Aging is not a loss, but a new beginning - it is the composure after the accumulation of experience, the lightness after letting go of burdens, and the opportunity to re-understand ourselves.
May we all gain courage from the stories of Cecily, Liu Xiaoqing, Buffett and Yang Zhenning.
They told us in their own ways: True aging begins with the surrender of one's mindset; and the eternal youthfulness lies in the endless love for life.
Interested in reading? You can download the Amazon link.